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CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

T hraxar watched the tracker glint under the lab lights, now harmlessly contained in a small stasis box. Such a tiny device to cause so much danger. He turned the box over in his hand, studying the malevolent technology that had nearly cost them everything.

“The Lumiri civil war was particularly brutal,” Elrin said, settling into a cushioned chair in his study. The old Treveloran’s feathered crest ruffled slightly as he sighed. “I’ve made some inquiries through secure channels. What I discovered is… troubling.”

He set the box on the table between them. “Tell me.”

“Talia’s father was indeed a political leader—Kerran Vey’Nor.

He advocated for democratic reforms on a world ruled by hereditary houses for centuries.

” Elrin’s beak-like nose twitched. “The traditionalists labeled him a terrorist, but by all accounts, he was a principled man who refused to use violence even when attacked.”

Outside the window, he could see Kara in the garden with the children. Rory was methodically arranging stones in intricate patterns while Talia mimicked his movements with her own collection. The afternoon sunlight caught Kara’s hair as she laughed at something Talia said.

My family. The thought no longer startled him.

“The ruling houses eventually united against him,” Elrin continued. “When they couldn’t discredit his message, they decided to eliminate him entirely. They bombed a public gathering where he was speaking.”

“And Talia’s mother?”

“Meya Vey’Nor. She was a scientist, not political, but she supported her mate’s cause.

She escaped the bombing with Talia and went into hiding.

” Elrin’s voice softened. “The bounty hunter was correct—there are those who fear Talia could become a symbol for the resistance that still simmers on Lumiri.”

His tail lashed in barely controlled anger. “She’s a child.”

“Children grow. Symbols endure.” Elrin leaned forward. “The houses that ordered her father’s death will never stop hunting her. Not as long as they know she lives.”

The implication hung in the air between them. He stared at the tracker again, an idea forming.

“What if she did not?”

Elrin’s crest raised slightly. “Explain.”

“What if Talia Vey’Nor died?” he asked slowly. “I could take this tracker into deep space, place it on an unmanned pod, and program it to self-destruct. The signal would disappear. They would believe she perished.”

“It could work,” Elrin mused, his nose twitching rapidly now—a sign Thraxar recognized as excitement. “The bounty hunter’s disappearance would support the narrative. They would assume he found her, but something went wrong.”

“And if they believe she is dead…”

“They’ll stop looking,” Elrin finished.

The plan crystallized in his mind. Simple. Effective. Final. Yet the thought of leaving his newly-formed family, even temporarily, created an unfamiliar ache in his chest.

“How long would you need to be gone?” Elrin asked, reading his hesitation.

“Three days. Perhaps four.” Thraxar’s gaze drifted back to the garden. “I will need to travel far enough away that the pod’s destruction cannot be easily investigated.”

“I’ll watch over them,” Elrin promised. “My home has excellent security systems. They’ll be safe here.”

He nodded, decision made. “I will prepare my ship.”

The sunset painted the horizon in shades of amber and violet as he made his final preparations. He’d spent the afternoon going over the plan with Kara, who had immediately understood the necessity despite her obvious concern. Now he stood in the garden, reluctant to leave.

Rory approached, carrying something in his cupped hands. The boy stopped before him and held out his offering—a small, intricate arrangement of colored stones and metal pieces he’d collected.

“For me?” he asked softly.

Rory nodded once, his serious eyes fixed on Thraxar’s face.

He accepted the gift carefully, recognizing it as more than just stones. It was trust. Communication. Perhaps even love, expressed in the only way Rory knew how.

“Thank you,” he said, tucking the arrangement securely in a pouch at his belt. “I will keep it with me.”

Rory hummed softly, then reached out to trace the pattern on his forearm before turning away to rejoin his sister.

His sister. He had already begun thinking of them that way—brother and sister, both his children now.

Talia approached next, her translucent ears shifting from purple to a muted blue. “Kara says you’re going to make the bad people think I’m gone forever.”

“Yes.” He crouched to her level, his tail curling protectively behind her without touching. “It’s the only way to keep you safe.”

Her big black eyes studied him. “Will you come back?”

The question pierced him with its simplicity and the fear behind it. How many people had left this child and never returned?

“Always,” he promised. “Nothing in this universe could keep me from returning to you.”

Her ears flushed purple again as she suddenly launched herself against his chest. He enfolded her in his arms, still marveling at how natural it felt to hold these children who were nothing like him biologically, yet somehow belonged with him completely.

“Be careful with my tracker,” she whispered. “It’s the last thing I have from home.”

The statement caught him off guard. “You remember your home?”

She nodded against his chest. “A little. It was high up, with big windows. Mother said we could see the whole city, but we couldn’t go outside much.” Her voice dropped lower. “She cried a lot after Father went away.”

Thraxar held her tighter, understanding more than ever why this deception was necessary. Talia deserved peace, not a lifetime of looking over her shoulder.

“When I come back,” he said, “we’ll make a new home. One where you can go outside whenever you want.”

She pulled back to look at him, her expression solemn. “With a garden? And rooms for everyone?”

“Yes. All of that and more.”

Satisfied, she stepped away, her small hand lingering on his arm for a moment before she joined Rory.

Kara approached last, her eyes reflecting the fading sunlight. Without a word, she stepped into his arms.

“Three days,” she murmured against his chest. “Not a minute longer.”

His tail curled around her waist, drawing her closer. “I’ll return as quickly as possible.”

“You’d better.” She looked up at him, her expression fierce despite the moisture gathering in her eyes. “We’ve only just found each other. I’m not ready to let you go for good.”

“Never for good,” he promised, bending to press his forehead against hers in the Cire gesture of deepest affection. “This is just a necessary task. Then we build our life.”

“Our life,” she repeated, the words sounding like a vow.

When they finally separated, Elrin was waiting nearby, his expression understanding.

“I’ve prepared supplies for your journey,” the old trader said. “And I’ll guard them as if they were my own.”

Thraxar clasped the Treveloran’s slender arm in gratitude. “I know you will, my friend.”

The acknowledgment of friendship seemed to surprise Elrin, whose crest fluttered in pleasure. “Safe travels, Thraxar var’Chatakan.”

With a final look at his family—and they were his family now, regardless of blood or species—Thraxar boarded his ship.

The familiar routines of pre-flight checks and system activations felt different somehow.

Before, his ship had been his only home, his sanctuary.

Now it felt empty without Rory’s soft humming, Talia’s curious questions, and Kara’s warm presence.

As the engines powered up, he placed Rory’s stone arrangement on the console before him. A reminder of what he was protecting. What he would return to.

The deep silence of space enveloped the ship as Thraxar plotted his course to a remote sector of the Carellian Void—a region with minimal traffic and natural radiation that would mask the planned explosion.

He’d been traveling for nearly twenty hours, pushing the engines harder than was strictly necessary.

The sooner this was done, the sooner he could return.

He’d prepared the unmanned pod in the cargo bay, programming it with a simple trajectory and detonation sequence. The tracker was secured inside, still broadcasting its silent signal to anyone looking for Talia.

As he worked, his thoughts kept returning to the family waiting for him. The concept still felt new, like armor not yet broken in—slightly uncomfortable but increasingly right.

For so long after losing his parents and brother, he’d convinced himself that attachment was weakness. That the solitary life was safer. Easier. He’d been wrong. The pain of potential loss was nothing compared to the emptiness of never having anything to lose.

The ship’s communication system chimed, indicating an incoming transmission. Thraxar frowned. No one should be contacting him here.

He activated the viewer cautiously, relief washing through him when Elrin’s familiar face appeared.

“Forgive the interruption,” the Treveloran said, his voice slightly distorted by distance. “But there’s been a development you should know about.”

Thraxar’s muscles tensed. “Are they safe?”

“Yes, yes,” Elrin assured him quickly. “Everyone is fine. But I’ve received additional information about the situation on Lumiri.”

“Tell me.”

“The political landscape is shifting. The youngest of the ruling houses, House Kevalti, has broken from the coalition. They’re now openly supporting the reforms Kerran Vey’Nor proposed.”

Thraxar considered this. “How does this affect Talia?”

“House Kevalti has considerable influence in the planetary security forces. They’ve begun investigating the bombing that killed Kerran, calling it a political assassination rather than a terrorist incident as previously claimed.”

“You think they might protect her?”

Elrin’s crest flattened in caution. “Not yet. It’s too unstable. But in time, perhaps…” He paused. “I merely thought you should have all the information before proceeding.”

Thraxar nodded slowly. “The plan doesn’t change. Talia Vey’Nor must be believed dead for now. But we’ll monitor the situation on Lumiri. If true change comes, perhaps someday…”

“Someday she might reclaim her heritage,” Elrin finished. “A bridge between old and new.”

“A decision for her to make when she’s grown,” Thraxar said firmly. “For now, she deserves a childhood. A family.”

“Indeed.” Elrin’s beak-like nose twitched with something like approval. “Safe journey, my friend.”

The transmission ended, leaving Thraxar alone with his thoughts once more. He glanced at Rory’s stone arrangement, then at the pod containing the tracker.

A future for Talia that included both her past and her present—it was more than he’d dared hope for. But that future could only exist if they succeeded now.

With renewed purpose, Thraxar completed the final preparations for the pod’s launch. As he worked, he found himself humming one of Rory’s melodies, the sound filling the empty spaces of his ship.

Not empty for long, he reminded himself. Soon he would return to them.

His family was waiting.